Saturday, 31 December 2016

Fort Tamentfoust

Fort Tamentfoust is a strong Ottoman construction dating back to the time of the Regency of Algiers.

The fort was built in 1661 by Ramdhan Agha under the reign of Ismail Pasha and underwent refitting in the time of Mezzo Morto following the bombing of Duquesne 1682 and 1683. Most of the materials used were extracted from the remains Of the ancient city.

The cannon of this fort announced to the Algerians the arrival of the new Pacha named by the Sublime Porte.

It was in a neighboring cove that Charles V re-embarked his army on the remains of his fleet.

Fort Tamentfoust , a former Lazaret and former Turkish stronghold, saw on 23 July 1830 an assembly of chiefs and marabouts of different Arab tribes gathered to counter the French invasion. War and resistance were the only answers accepted by all.

Seen from the outside, the bordj is of octagonal form, only in large apparatus, parallelepiped. This makes it unique because it is unique throughout the Maghreb. The Turkish fortress is surrounded by a ditch 3 m deep; It is accessed to the south-east by a draw bridge, 5 m long by 1.5 m wide, which communicates between the postern and the end of collapse of the ditch. The main façade has an oratory. The walls of the fort, 9 m high, present all along small towers of middle and corner covered with archers or loopholes. The terrace is characterized by its wide walkway.

Inside, the bordj consists of a ground floor and a terrace. The vestibule or sqifa, in labyrinth, ends in a central courtyard with gallery in arcades on which opens; A kitchen, a prayer room, a prison, a hammam and a weapons depot. To the right of the corridor, a staircase allows access to the terrace which offers a panoramic view of the Cape and the bay of Algiers; 22 pieces of cannon were placed there.